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Biggs: Bears Need To Bolster O Line

CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 13: Chris Williams #74 and J'Marcus Webb #73 of the Chicago Bears prepare to block against the Buffalo Bills during a preseason game at Soldier Field on August 13, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Bills 10-3. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)J'Marcus Webb and Chris Williams. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

(WSCR) Jay Cutler’s mid-season injury did more than just expose the weaknesses of backup quarterback Caleb Hanie.

Cutler’s absence also exposed the holes in the offensive line. While the Bears were riding a five-game winning streak behind Cutler, the quarterback’s elusive moves in the pocket helped hide the now glaring holes within the offensive line — most notably with J’Marcus Webb at offensive tackle.

“You’re always going to want to upgrade that position until you get a lock-down guy,” Brad Biggs of the National Football Post and Chicago Tribune told The Mully and Hanley Show on Monday. “What we need to find out is where they prioritize that position. (Webb) had a horrible start to the preseason against Buffalo. Sean Merriman just embarrassed him in the first game. In between that game and Sunday’s game, I thought what we saw in the middle, you could live with. You give the guy help from time-to-time in certain situations and he’s OK. If you expose him on a lot of seven-step drops, though, he’s going to have problems.”

The Bears’ 17-13 win Sunday means they’ll likely be drafting at No. 19, which may make it more difficult to find a quality offensive tackle, if that’s the direction the Bears choose to go.

“I think you have to take a look at him now and say, ‘What can we do here?’ The fact of the matter is that it looks like they’re drafting 19th in the first round,” Biggs said. “One of the problems you’re going to have at No. 19, if you’re looking for a left tackle, is that the elite guys that are going to go in the draft, they’re going to be long gone by 19.”